THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ; Iraqis Announce New Steps Aimed at Reconciling Sunnis and Shiites

By ALISSA J. RUBIN; Qais Mizher contributed reporting from Baghdad, and Iraqi employees of The New York Times from Hilla and Ramadi.

Published: March 27, 2007

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani announced Monday that they plan to introduce a proposal that would allow thousands more former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to serve in the government.

The plan, if it were to gain approval, would be an important step toward reconciling Iraq's warring Shiites, who lead the government now, and Sunnis, who dominated the Hussein government.

The announcement by the prime minister's office came just hours after the outgoing American ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, gave his final news conference in which he repeatedly emphasized that the Iraqi government's slowness to change the draconian de-Baathification laws, among others, had contributed to American skepticism about Iraq's commitment to finding a political solution to the sectarian strife troubling the country.

The lack of movement had also hampered efforts at reconciliation between the Sunnis and Shiites, he said, since the Sunnis have had little faith that the Shiite government would do anything concrete to help them.

Changing the de-Baathification laws was one of the political goals for the Iraqi government set by the Bush administration six months ago.

Under the proposal by the prime minister and the president, which comes on the heels of meetings held between Mr. Maliki and Sunni insurgent leaders and appears to be an effort to back up his outreach with action, all Baathists would be able to collect their pensions.

In addition, thousands more former Baathists would be allowed to hold government jobs than under the current law. Former Baathists who return to government work would have to sign a pledge that they would refrain from making political statements about the current government.

The law would also set a three-month time limit for Iraqi citizens who have complaints against former Baathists to bring a claim. Then the courts would have six months to rule. Any claims brought subsequently would be thrown out.

The goal of the new law is to take a step toward reconciling Sunnis and Shiites, said Dr. Sadiq al-Raqadi, a political adviser to Mr. Maliki.

''The reason for the new law is that the government wants to finish these cases; they want to close the files of the Baathists,'' he said. ''This is an effort to find a solution for the problem of the Baathists.''

The Iraqi government's move, one of several aspects of reconciliation, comes not a moment too soon in Mr. Khalilzad's view. ''To sustain U.S. support, things have to move at a certain pace,'' Mr. Khalilzad said. And, time is running out, he said.

The United States House of Representatives voted last week to begin withdrawing troops by the fall of 2008, and the Senate plans to consider a less restrictive plan, though it is unclear what the final outcome of the legislative effort will be.

Mr. Khalilzad served for 21 months in Iraq, during the drafting of the country's Constitution as well as the second nationwide election and a referendum approving the Constitution.

If, as expected, the United States Senate approves his nomination, he will become the American ambassador to the United Nations. He will be replaced by Ryan Crocker, a career diplomat, who is currently the ambassador to Pakistan.

The Iraqi government's move to modify the de-Baathification law, if it goes through, would be a victory for Mr. Khalilzad who pushed hard to bring Sunnis back into the government.

Recently, American diplomats and military officials along with Iraqi government officials, including Mr. Maliki, have reached out to Sunni militants in an effort to woo those elements of the insurgency whom Mr. Khalilzad described as ''reconcilable insurgents'' and isolate the most violent elements.

''There is a real struggle going on in the Sunni Arab part of Iraq between those of Al Qaeda and the other more patriotic groups who want a successful Iraq, an Iraq in which everyone's rights is respected,'' said Mr. Khalilzad. Most of these ''patriotic groups'' were linked to Mr. Hussein's former government rather than to the Sunni religious militants with ties to Al Qaeda.

Mr. Khalilzad underscored that there would be no discussions with individuals linked to Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the insurgent group that claims ties to the Qaeda organization, which has been associated with some of the most destructive attacks in Iraq.

Mr. Khalilzad noted that in the six weeks since the American-backed security plan began, attacks had dropped 25 percent. Baghdad seemed relatively quiet on Monday. There were several improvised explosive devices that killed one Iraqi civilian and one policeman. Fifteen unidentified bodies were found.

National Public Radio on Monday reported an episode on Saturday in which gunmen opened fire on children playing soccer in Baghdad, followed by a battle between Sunni and Shiite neighbors. The details could not be verified on Monday.

In Hilla, south of Baghdad, three Sunni mosques were attacked, apparently in retribution for an attack on a Shiite mosque three days earlier.

In Iskandariya, American and Iraqi forces were attacked by insurgents hiding in a mosque who used rocket propelled grenades as well as guns. The Iraqi soldiers entered the mosque and in the course of fighting injured two insurgents and killed one.

The American military also announced that it had captured the leaders of a major car bomb ring in Baghdad responsible for the deaths of more than 900 Iraqis.

Two suicide truck bombs exploded near Ramadi, but initial reports indicated they had killed only the drivers.

Photos: Zalmay Khalilzad at his final news conference as U.S. ambassador to Iraq yesterday. He offered a sober outlook for Iraq in the near future. (Pool photo by Mahmoud al-Badri); Iraqi police officers checked vehicles on Monday in central Baghdad. Bombs killed one Iraqi civilian and one policeman in a relatively quiet day. (Photo by Samir Mizban/Associated Press)